Happy Holidays to all!!! We had a lovely Christmas and Chanukah celebration with all of our family in Maryland. We spent the last week getting in some quality time with family and friends, shopping for Christmas, preparing for Santa and more. We had 4 crazy rounds of presents, Santa sent us “reindeer dust” and my children are officially spoiled. We are very lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives who treat them so well.

I scored this steal of a dress while shopping with mom on our annual Christmas shopping/dinner night out! She wanted to wrap it and put it under the tree, but I just had to wear it for our Christmas Eve Italian Seven Fishes celebration.

We are here for another week in Maryland through the New Year. The hubby and I are lucky to be able to enjoy some time off, but also work from anywhere…so we can mix in working with family time, bowling, dinners out, and ringing in the new year.

A big part of what I’m working on this week is my health + fitness challenge group which is gearing up to start fresh in January with an INCREDIBLE new all access on demand package and support for an entire year. I have spelled out all the details on my Facebook page if you want to learn more, or feel free to email me directly. The group is filling up fast, so reach out soon to claim your spot!!!

Looking forward to all that 2017 has to offer and reaching new heights and goals in this bright new year!!!

Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday and all the best for 2017 as well!

watching Watched Love Actually and The Family Stone while doing cards over the weekend. Need to get my hands on Elf and Home Alone!

wearingSweats, sweats, and more sweats. It’s getting cold! Though, I am going out tonight! Whoo mama’s going out on a Monday! (this is kind of a big deal haha), so I will be putting on real clothes (and a hat, scarf, and gloves, bc whoa, snow on the ground.)

exercising Finished the 3 Week Yoga Retreat last month, and I’m one week in to Core de Force. I’m OBSESSED!!! The workout times are a little longer than I’m used to. I’ve been spoiled with 30 min…but these kickboxing, Muay Thai based workouts are SOOOO kick ass. I’m in love. And they are working that core!

feeling Strong, excited, cold, busy. Lots of random feelings.

wanting To go see the Christmas Lights in Dyker Heights. They are simply MAGICAL.

needing To clean my house. I’ve been good about tidying, but ugh, it really needs a good clean. It’s on the must-do list before we travel for the holidays.

loving All of the snuggles from my boys lately.

wishing That the preschool application process in NYC wasn’t feeling as difficult as applying to college. And that all the Catholic Schools weren’t shutting down. Holy moly.

hopingThat we can find some great schools, and get into our top choices. We won’t know until the spring though.

craving Chocolate.

clicking Well what I need to be clicking on are website for Christmas shopping, but at this rate, I won’t make the shipping, so I better hit the stores!

ANNOUNCING!!!! – Starting this week for the rest of December, I will be doing a HOLIDAY Giveaway series on my Instagram Page!!!! I will be partnering with some amazing brands and giving away some FANTASTIC things this month, so STAY TUNED!!! My first giveaway will take place THIS Wednesday!!! Trust me, it’s going to be awesome, and you will want to win!!! 🙂

We were FINALLY able to see Santa last night! I had been trying to make it there for the past couple weeks, but things were just not working out for us. The first week, lack of sleep was an obstacle, and on Saturday, the snow and ice was a major obstacle. However, the Notes family was bound and determined to see good old Kris Kringle this holiday season. How could I look Nico in the eye when he got older and tell him I never got a picture of him with Santa on his 1st Christmas? So this time, we headed into the city via subway (also Nico’s 1st ride) to Bloomingdale’s for a lovely experience. They handed out cookies in line, allowed you to take your own free pictures, and offered professional photography as well. I would definitely go back again next year. Not only was this Nico’s 1st visit to Santa Claus, but it was also Daddy’s! Despite all the craziness of not being able to get to Santa earlier, this day definitely made up for it all.

Oh, and by the way…the winner of the Goodnight Zoo giveaway is Kimberley. Congratulations! I will be in touch soon with details on how to claim your prize. 🙂

‘Tis the Season! I did a little me-shopping for the holidays, and picked up this jeweled sweatshirt from StyleMint as well as these adorable burgundy bow smoking slippers from Seychelles. This outfit was a perfect blend of being polished and dressy enough for the Thanksgiving weekend festivities, but also allowed me to stay comfortable at the same time. This particular day, my family all came to my parents house to meet our little Nico for the first time. It went well and our little guy certainly has a lot of people who love him!

I also took advantage of the Starbucks drive-thru while in Maryland. My neighborhood doesn’t have one, and I haven’t been venturing out of it too often while on maternity leave. I absolutely swoon over their holiday lattes, and this year was no different. I tried the Caramel Brulee Latte for the first time, and loved it so much, I got one the following day for the drive back to NY as well. Yum!

Things have been a little crazy in the Notes household this past weekend. We’ve been trying to get Nico on a better sleeping pattern (i.e. trying to get him to go to sleep without it taking 2+ hours). It hasn’t been fun, but after a few short days, I think it’s actually starting to work. The whole family might be on a track toward good sleep (fingers crossed). This is just the first of many tough parenting decisions we have had to make. No one can really explain how hard motherhood can be sometimes. We are just figuring everything out along the way. Oh! We have also come super close to finding a nanny for our little guy! We have interviewed a lot, and we think we just may have found the one. Hoping it all works out for the best!

Thanks to all of those who sent in your favorite holidays things! I loved getting them! We all have our own traditions and things that make the holidays special for us, and I appreciate the little peek into how you celebrate the season.

Thanks again to all those who participated and sent in your holiday favorites!

Today I am headed to my aunt and uncle’s house to celebrate Christmas Eve Italian style – the Seven Fishes dinner. Clams, rockfish, codfish, shrimp, escargot, and whatever else today’s dinner will bring. It’s one of my favorite days of the year where all of my crazy family gets together to celebrate, eat good food, drink yummy cocktails, sing songs, share gifts, and eat Grandma’s delicious homemade cookies.

We finally got our Christmas tree up! We had to get a smaller one this year due to living room space. Last year, our couch had not yet been delivered, and we got the biggest most beautiful tree. While this one may not measure up in terms of looks, this year’s tree is definitely quirky and unique. Dressed up in all the colorful lights and special ornaments, we have made this tree our own for 2012. Take a peek and spread the holiday cheer!

Before:

After:

Next on the list: writing my Christmas cards! Can you tell I kinda like Christmas? Just a little? The Christmas cards will have to wait ’til after the weekend though, because this girl is headed to Atlantic City. Girls weekend here I come!